Disc drives are digital data storage devices which store and retrieve large amounts of user data in a fast and efficient manner. User data blocks from a host device are magnetically stored in data sector fields defined on the surfaces of one or more rotatable data storage discs (media).
Data compression techniques have been employed in disc drives and other data storage devices to achieve improved throughput and data storage capacities. As will be recognized, data compression, or compaction, generally comprises the application of a coding algorithm to a digital data block (set) to represent the data block more efficiently (i.e., with fewer bits).
The resulting compressed data block allows the data to be transmitted in a shorter period of time across a communication link. Using compressed data blocks also generally increases the ability to store additional data in a given memory device, such as an integrated circuit cache buffer, a storage disc or other medium.
While prior art approaches to employing data compression in data storage devices may have been found operable, due to the continued market demand for data storage devices with ever higher levels of performance capabilities, there remains a continued need for improvements in the manner in which data compression techniques are employed in a data storage device.